Black women in Hollywood continue to pave the way for the next generation of creatives to defy the odds and break barriers in spaces that lack diversity.
Famed actress Regina King made her directorial debut this week at the Venice Film Festival with her new film, “One Night in Miami.” Thus, making it the first film to be directed by a Black woman also hand-selected to premiere in the entire history of the 88-year-old festival, according to Yahoo.
Meanwhile, @ReginaKing holds it down as the first Black woman to direct a film premiered at the Venice film festival. The film #OneNightInMiami is the first film she's directed. Go ahead Queen!#blackexcellence #BlackLivesMatter https://t.co/5voxOA1B9V
— The Black Collective (@BCollectiveNYC) September 9, 2020
Variety reports King has said that her debut could either “open doors or close doors for more Black female directors,” shedding light on the existing double standards for Black women in Hollywood.
“Unfortunately, across the world, that’s how things seem to work. One woman gets a shot and if she does not succeed, it shuts things down for years until someone else gets a shot,” she said, according to The Root.
She further shared her views on the importance of her film during a Zoom press conference on Monday and touched on its potential impact to uplift marginalized voices in both the arts and communities all over, People reports.
“I am so grateful for our film to be a part of the festival but I really, really want it to perform well. There’s so much talent out there—so many talented directors—so if One Night in Miami gets it done here, you’ll get to see a lot more of us,” King said, reports The Root.
The film is based on former journalist’s Kemp Powers’ stage play of the same name, which shares a fictional account inspired by the true events of the 1964 meeting between political figure Malcolm X, a then 22-year-old Muhammad Ali — also known as Cassius Clay — singer Sam Cooke, and NFL player, Jim Brown, Variety reports.
King’s film shares a powerful tale of how the four went on to change the world as pivotal players during the civil rights era and is even being considered as a contender for the 2020 Oscar season, according to Variety.
This could be another monumental year for Regina King at the Academy Awards, this time on the directing side.
The film “One Night in Miami” will reportedly be released on Amazon later this year.
